Gerald Beals II

How they died

Deadly force

Officer Rod Thompson responded to Hy-Vee grocery at about 10:50 a.m. where Gerald Beals II, a store employee, was reportedly in the meat department with a knife, touching the meat and saying he had HIV. Thompson confronted Beals in the freezer area and told him to drop the knife. Commander Charles Pepples arrived and told Thompson to use his Taser, but it apparently didn't work. Thompson shot Beals when he allegedly came at him swinging the knife. Police said Beals fell, then stood up. Pepples fired his Taser, and Thompson again fired his gun, killing Beals. In August 2011, Thompson resigned while under investigation for exchanging sexually explicit photos with a 15-year-old girl. In 2012, Thompson pleaded guilty, blaming his actions on PTSD related to shooting Beals.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Gerald Beals II, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources